…Lawyers threaten boycott of courts
. As aggrieved Anambra traders give Soludo condition for re-election
…Insist on appointment of Commissioner for Trade and Mkt
ELIZABETH VINCENT, Yenagoa and PHIL OKOSE, Onitsha
Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has directed security commanders in the state to ensure that a Judge of the state high court, Justice Ebieyerin Umukoro, who was abducted by armed men on Saturday in Yenagoa is released without harm.
Governor Diri disclosed this on Monday in Sagbama town during his ongoing local government thank you tour to Sagbama Local Government Area.
He also warned criminal elements and their sponsors to retrace their steps as there was no hiding place for them following the state government’s investment in closed circuit television cameras and other security gadgets.
He said kidnappers of the Judge were caught on CCTV cameras and that the investigation would unravel their identity.
“From the minute I was informed about the high profile kidnap of a judge of the state high court, l summoned security commanders in the state and gave them a directive to ensure that the judge comes out alive and fit.
“Let me tell those who are either sponsors or are involved in the kidnap, it is time to give up. You cannot terrorise and intimidate your own people.
“Government has invested so much in the security sector and the installed closed-circuit television cameras captured footages of the incident.”
Governor Diri appreciated the people of Sagbama local government area for giving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) bloc votes in the November 11, 2023 governorship election that returned him and his deputy to office for a second term.
He also urged them alongside Ekeremor council that make up the Bayelsa West senatorial district, to remain united and promote peaceful coexistence.
The Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, in his remarks, described Sagbama as headquarters of the PDP in the state.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo said the governor got the highest votes from Sagbama, which he referred to as ‘Kano votes’ in the 2019 and 2023 governorship polls, as the people had unflinching loyalty to the PDP.
The deputy governor, who hails from Sagbama, stressed that the local government would remain a stronghold of the party and expressed gratitude to the immediate past governor and Senator representing Bayelsa West, Chief Seriake Dickson, for making a good choice in Senator Diri as his successor.
He equally thanked the people of the three Sagbama constituencies for their steadfast support to Diri’s Prosperity Government.
In their goodwill messages, the member representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency, Dr. Frederick Agbedi, members representing Sagbama constituency 1 in the House of Assembly, Dr. Godbless Oyinke, Lt. Col. Bernard Kenebai (rtd) (Constituency 2), and Hon. Ebizi Ndiomu-Brown (Constituency 3) expressed appreciation to the governor for continuing the Sagbama Ekeremor road project.
They also commended him for transforming Sagbama through infrastructure projects and appealed that government prevail on the Niger Delta Development Commission to construct the abandoned Abuetor-Elemebiri-Asamabiri road project awarded over 25 years ago.
On arrival, the governor and his entourage visited the palace of the Pere of Kumbowei Kingdom, King Boloyi Sufadoh, where he and his deputy were presented with walking sticks, hats and a copy each of the holy bible.
. As aggrieved Anambra traders give Soludo condition for re-election
…Insist on appointment of Commissioner for Trade and Mkt
Meanwhile, aggrieved traders in Anambra State on Monday, demanded from Governor Chukwuma Soludo, the immediate appointment of Commissioner for Trade and Markets, who must be a trader to substitute the Special Adviser, (SPAD), to Governor Soludo on Trade and Markets, Hon. Evaristus Uba, insisting that failure to do so they would not vote for Soludo’s second tenure.
The traders made the demand while reacting to a publication in the social media credited to SPAD where he stated that he has no business with a court order in a case involving two warring parties (Ifesi Anozie vs Donatus Obi) of (Onitsha International Electronics market)that traders are insisting that such statement portrays SPAD as one who is not interested in the affairs of the traders but what financial benefits he will get.
The aggrieved traders who spoke through Mr. Evans Obi, a trader at Onitsha main market, added that SPAD did not end at that as he went further to state that he has the power to install anybody he feels has the capacity to be a market leader without consulting market Board of Trustees, (BOT ), as stipulated by the market constitution.
“That is why he instigated scores of market crises and he now usurps the functions of the President General, PG, Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, ASMATA, Chief Humphrey Anuna, as traders now storm his Awka office for one favour or the other.
“These traders who storm his office for favour instead of that of ASMATA PG spend huge sums as gratification and that is why we demand for the appointment of a Commissioner who must be a trader to take over the affairs of traders.
“It is not that the ASMATA PG is a saint but courtesy demands that traders should channel their complaints/demands through ASMATA secretariat as their mouth piece and unifying body. I was at the ASMATA secretariat sometime last month and it looked like a ghost area as nothing is happening there. SPAD now presides and usurps the functions of the PG.
“It is at SPAD office in Awka that traders who meet up financial demands are installed and the ASMATA PG in turn inaugurates them as directed by SPAD and failure to do so means disobedience to a superior government functionary.
“We want a Commissioner, we heard a former commissioner was sacked for taking bribe from just a trader but about 500 traders were said to have made SPAD to smile at the bank without being sacked.
“The Ozomagana Building Materials market crisis was instigated by Uba because he sacked the incumbent executive and installed a caretaker committee, claiming that the chairman, Tochukwu, was owing stallage levy/taxes of the market. From records the chairman is not owing any debt and has payment receipts with him for one’s perusal.
“This is election time and Soludo should look for a capable hand as commissioner. There is a great difference between a commissioner and Special Adviser. The APGA National chairman, Sly Ezeokenwa, should assist the governor on this traders versus SPAD issue now that gubernatorial election is around the corner for we will not vote for Soludo if he doesn’t replace SPAD with a Commissioner who must be experienced on trading.
“He now instigates crises in the markets in the name of instituting a caretaker committee here and there and the governor may not know this. His denial that he only installs capable hands is false rather traders who oil his palms” he revealed.
According to SPAD when contacted earlier on allegations of instigating crises in the market by appointing caretaker committees and extortion, he said, ” I look at it, if it is people that own plaza that are able to deliver as caretakers, on that I use them.
People that don’t have plazas but they have ears of the majority of the traders, I use them. So whether that person has plaza or not, is he not a trader?
“If we are going to make changes we look at the pedigree, the capacity of the people we are going to put. Let nobody just go around and be claiming that he is this or that and use it to come and tell us what to do.
If they have a good suggestion, they should bring it forth and we look at it, if it is good, we consider it,” SPAD posited.
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